FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 28, 2010

Immigrants from India increase in the 2nd quarter: report

Vancouver, BC – From April to June 2010, Community Airport Newcomers Network (C.A.N.N.) provided by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. has received a total of 14,756 immigrants at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), an increase of 18%, when compared to the same quarter last year.

The C.A.N.N. 2nd quarter report indicates that among the new arrivals, the Philippines continues to top the source country with a 22% increase when compared with the same quarter last year. China follows with the numbers remaining relatively unchanged. The number of immigrants from India rose significantly by 41%, from 895 to 1,811, representing the third largest group. BC, Alberta and Manitoba were selected the top three final destinations by newcomers at YVR.  BC continues to be the most popular destination for new immigrants from China and India.

There is a significant shift on the distribution of new immigrants among the provinces for newcomers from the Philippines.

A total of 1,568 immigrants from the Philippines intended to settle in Alberta, an increase of 62% while the number destined to BC also increased by 43% from 961 to 1,376.

“In contrast to the increases for BC and Alberta this quarter, Filipinos who stated that they intended on settling in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec decreased by 5%, 22% and 33% respectively, ”said Parampal Sharma, Manager of C.A.N.N. “However, the number of immigrants from China who stated that they planned on settling in Quebec increased slightly, by 3%,”  Sharma added.

In terms of categories served by C.A.N.N., the number of Skilled Workers rose by 78% and the number of Provincial Nominees by 20%, whereas the number of new immigrants arriving under the Canadian Experience category experienced a 23% boost.  

Over the past 18 years, C.A.N.N. has welcomed over 800,000 new immigrants.  Services provided have included: assisting with landing procedures, answering questions regarding settlement, and above all, providing vital information and referral on settlement and community resources across Canada.

Vancouver is one of the only two Canadian cities (the other in Toronto) offering reception and orientation services to landing immigrants at international airports. According to the census data, among all Canadian cities, Vancouver and Toronto have the highest, most concentrated immigrant populations.

In this quarter, C.A.N.N. also received 387 government-assisted and privately-sponsored refugees. Top source countries were Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Iran, Afghanistan, and Bhutan. Over fifty percent of the clients were served after regular working hours due to the shift in flight patterns and an increase in late-evening domestic arrivals.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. provides quarterly report on new immigrants and refugees arriving YVR.   Next release will be published in October 2010. For more details of C.A.N.N. reports, please visit: http://www.success.bc.ca/cann

Founded in 1973, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is one of the largest social service providers in Canada with 25 offices in British Columbia and 4 overseas offices.

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